The Alumni
The inspiring stories of the Sir Peter Blake Trust's Leaders
The Sir Peter Blake Trust has been celebrating great kiwi
leadership through the Sir Peter
Blake Leadership Awards since 2005. 50 Blake Leaders
have joined a growing group of individuals who follow in the
footsteps of Sir Peter and continue to exemplify his extraordinary
kiwi 'can do' spirit.
Sir Ray Avery is a pharmaceutical scientist and social entrepreneur whose ground-breaking work and visionary leadership is improving the lives of millions of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. The low-cost intraocular lenses he developed, costing less than $6, make modern cataract surgery available to the poorest of the poor. In 2010, Sir Ray became a Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (GNZM).
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With a vision to develop both his people and the social environment around him, Ngarimu Blair worked on behalf of Ngati Whatua o Orakei to draw on the riches of Māori heritage in creating unique spaces and instilling a sense of place, identity and pride. He has dedicated his career to promoting tangata whenua issues around sustainability, protection of sacred sites, restoration of bio-diversity and Maori community issues.
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Renee Liang is a consultant paediatrician whose research looks at human development trajectories from early life to adolescence. She is also a widely published poet, short story writer and playwright – her plays Lantern, The Bone Feeder and The First Asian A*B* have played to sold-out audiences. By drawing on her diverse talents in both medicine and the arts, Renee is helping to define the cultural landscape of New Zealand and supporting positive community development.
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Gen-i is today considered to be a leader in the ICT industry in New Zealand, and Chief Executive for Australasia, Chris Quin is the man widely credited with its success. He is also part of the executive team at Telecom New Zealand – one of this country’s largest companies.
Chris also plays an active part in organisations that foster innovation and is, among other roles, a board member of The Icehouse and the New Zealand Centre for Social Innovation.
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Jamie Tuuta has a diverse background which includes agribusiness, fishing, investment, health, treaty settlements and Māori development. He holds and has held a range of governance positions in the health, iwi development, fishing, agribusiness and investment sectors. In 2011 he was appointed by the Minister of Maori Affairs as the Maori Trustee, working in partnership with owners of Māori land to protect and build their assets for now, and for future generations.
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Karen Willcox aspires to become New Zealand’s first astronaut, and having already been a finalist in the 2009 NASA Astronaut Selection has demonstrated her unshakeable commitment to realising this dream. As Associate Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Co-Director at the Centre for Computational Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), she is a leader in the development of computational methods for engineering systems and is making a significant impact on a global scale through her research and teaching.
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As founder and a trustee of The CatWalk Spinal Cord Injury Trust, Catriona Williams is pushing the boundaries of research to enable spinal cord injury (SCI) sufferers to walk again. Described as someone who leads from the front, Catriona has driven and shaped what started as a single fund-raising initiative into a respected and thriving charitable Trust. Her vision for CatWalk infects those around her. She uses her collaborative skills to promote and enhance communication between other SCI charities, and to encourage shared utilisation of resources and expertise for the good of those affected by the condition.
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